Quick Tip: How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken

I posted on my Facebook page recently about a great deal I snagged on rotisserie chickens when I was out grocery shopping–the manager announced they were selling for just $2.99 (regular price $6.99)! Mr. Boy and I hurried over to get two. They had restocked by the time we passed through again, so I grabbed a third.

Rotisserie chicken is my favorite convenience food. It’s relatively inexpensive and much healthier than other grab-and-go options. One whole chicken provides at least two meals for our family of three. I definitely had to take advantage of the low price, but what would I do with three whole chickens? Freeze them!

How to Freeze Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chicken will freeze well once carved from the bone. I remove the skin, then cut the meat into small pieces, or shred it. Once all of the chicken is prepared, I divide it into meal-size portions and pack into small resealable plastic bags.

I place all of the bagged chicken into one larger resealable freezer bag. If you’re the sort of person who loses track of the contents of your freezer, it’s a good idea to write the date on your bag. The chicken is best used within four months.

To reheat, I usually place the chicken in a skillet with a small amount of liquid (water or chicken stock), spices and sometimes vegetables depending on what I plan to make.

Most stores offer a variety of chicken “flavors”, like Lemon Pepper or Italian. I find that it’s only the skin that tastes that way–the meat will work well with whatever type of dish you choose.

My husband likes to take things a step further and use the remaining chicken bones to make stock. He places them in water and boils until reduced to a flavorful broth. We freeze that to use in other recipes or to cook rice.

Grabbing meat when it’s on sale and making the most of your freezer will help you stretch your grocery budget. With rotisserie chicken there’s a great convenience bonus, too!

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is the founder, designer and author of Jen Spends Less.
Formerly an architectural drafter and designer, Jen cut her spending and embraced a frugal lifestyle to be a stay at home mom.
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6 Comments

that is such a great deal! I always hear of people snagging deals on meats just being in the store at the right time…it hasn’t happened to me yet! I also love rotisserie chicken as a convenience food, but at our Giant I’ve never seen it cheaper than about $5.
We like to make chix salad with it, any recipe, one of our favs is a curried chix salad.

I usually don’t have much luck with meat deals either–that’s why I was so thrilled this time. It looked like they had overstocked…maybe due to lack of demand over the holiday? I love making chicken salad too. I just recently discovered a recipe that subs in plain yogurt and mustard for the mayo and it’s so good!

First of all, awesome deal! I’ve never managed to find them on sale for that much, usually you can get them for $4.99 at stores near me. If I should happen on a sale I’ll be sure to grab a few and freeze them though. Smart idea!

It’s been a while, so I can’t recall if I used thawed meat, but I have many times used rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad, or used it just plain on sandwiches. I think it would be fine, as long as you use it soon after thawing.

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